Stanchion foot connection



United States Patent Inventors Egon Wojaezek Bockum-l-loevel, and Kunibert Becker, Werl, Westphalia, Germany Appl. No. 760,221 Filed Sept. 17, 1968 Patented Dec. 8, 1970 Assignee Gewerkschaft Elsenhutte Westphalia Wethmar bei Lunen, Westphalia, Germany, a corporation of Germany Priority Oct. 21, 1967 Germany No. G-51401 STANCHION FOOT CONNECTION 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 248/357 Int. CL"... E2ld 15/44 Field ofSearch 61/452;

OTHER REFERENCES German printed application. 1,075,518, Feb. 18, I960, Schwanz. Primary Examiner- Edward C. Allen Attorney-Burgess, Dinklage and Sprung ABSTRACT: A connecting device for mine support assemblies connecting horizontal members of a movable support assembly to hydraulic support props of a shiftable support assembly.

PATENTED DEC 8 I970 INVENTORS EGON WOJACZEK KUN IBERT BECKER Aw %W AT TORfiF/S.

STANCHION FOO-T CONNECTION BACKGROUND'OFTHE INVENTION A connecting device for mine support assemblies and in particular a device for connecting the floor rail or rails of a movable support assembly to hydraulic support props or stanchions thereof, which can be in the form of a plate or leaf spring beams and'are connected to the props-stanchions arranged one behind the other ,inthe shifting direction. It is generally well known I-in the art to attach the props or stanchions of a shiftable support assembly to the floor rails thereof by means of sleeve In addition to the sleeve parts prop cans" are also known in the art which receive the cylindrical lowerparts of the props. The sleeve parts or prop cans are secured by means of a clamp or bolt screw connection to the floorrail. 1

It is further known in the art to place the hydraulic props of support assemblies directly upon afloor plate, dispensing with with the floor plate. The floor rail or rails canbe in the form of one or more leaf spring beams, as is well known i n.the art also. An essentialdisadvantage of these known types of connection is that the distance bywhich the props or stanchions can be extended isreduced by the height. of constructionof the connection. This is especially disadvantageous in shallow mineral seams where only props or stanchions with short extension strokes can be use dJIf the props are used with prop cans or sleeve parts it is generally necessary to arrange separate articulatedly movable foot plates in the sleeve of the prop can parts or the bottom of the props, in order to achieve a large support area of the props or stanchions on the floor. This is necessary to ensure that the props do not press into soft rock .fl'oorsunder theroofloading which would hinder efficient shifting of the support assembly.

SUMMARY-OFTHEINVENTIQN An objectof this invention is to provide a connecting device which will overcome the above disadvantages and yet be of comparatively simple construction and without the necessity of an especially wide-area plate placed on the bottom of the prop or stanchion.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a connecting device for attaching a support prop or stanchion of a movable mine support assembly to a floor rail thereof, said device comprising a flanged clamp whichlsurrounds the lower part of the prop or stanchion and issecured against longitudinal displace ment thereof. The clamp has" a coupling at one end which serves as a means for attachment to the floor rail. The lowermost part of the clamp has awidened extended portion which fonns a foot plate bearing directly upon the floor of the mine. The clamp is preferably held on the lower end part of the prop or stanchion in order that the lowermost surface of the prop or stanchion and the lowermost surface of both halves of the clamp lie substantially in a common plane.

Furthermore, the invention provides for a combination of mine support assemblies having a plurality of extendible hydraulic props or stanchionsand one or more floor railsand connecting devices for connecting the props or stanchions to the floor rail or rails. Each device comprises a clamp which surrounds the lower end portion of the props or stanchion and is secured against longitudinal displacement thereof. The clamp has a coupling which serves for attaching the floor to each stanchion or propQThe lowermost portion of each clamp has a widened extended portion whichforms a foot plate bearing directly upon the mine floor.

With the connecting device of this invention the props or stanchions Ca th s ear directly on the floor, so that full exploitation of the prop stroke is ensured. The clamp, that is to say, the connecting device by means of which the prop is attached to the floor rails of the support assembly, now functions also as a foot plate in such a manner that the prop support forces are transmitted through the clamp onto a larger separateprop cans. The props then are connected directly area of the floor. The danger of the prop or stanchion pressing itself into the floor is therefore eliminated also.

According to a further feature of the invention, in a constructionally advantageous manner the clamp is made in a plurality of parts, preferably two parts. The clamp parts are attached to one another and/or to the lower part of the prop or stanchion by means of bolts through the matching flanges. These bolts are horizontally arranged on both sides of the lower part of the prop arid'bear on suitable surfaces of the clamp parts.

In order to ensure trouble-free shifting of the support assembly utilizing the connection device, even in the event of irregular floors, the widened extended portion of the clamp forming the foot plate also constitutes a skid. In the case of a two-part clamp, the construction is preferably made such that the widened portion of one clamp part is formed as a skid, while the other clamp part defines the coupling with which the clamp is connected to the floor rail of the support assembly.

The lower part of the prop has annular flangesarranged one above the other in order. to ensure proper transmission of the prop or stanchion support forces from the prop to the clamp. The clamp thus is disposed between the flanges and bears against them. Another embodiment has the arrangement made in such a manner that the lower part of the prop or stanchion has only a single annular flange disposed above its lowermost surface, which flange engages in a recess provided inside the clamp surrounding the lower part of the prop.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A description of the basic principles of this invention will more readily follow a description of the specific embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: 1

FIG. 1 is a side view'of a connecting device made in accordance with the invention and assembled onto the lower end of a prop or stanchion part;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the device of FIG. 1 with a portion of the prop part shown in section to show more details;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A-B of FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 4 is a modified embodiment of the connecting device, the view corresponding to that of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE'PREFERRED EMBODIMENT It is well known in the art thata number of hydraulic props or stanchions each of which is composed of a cylindrical lower prop part 1 receives an upper stanchion part (not shown) which slides therein like a piston. The props or stanchions are thus telescopically displaceable relative to one another and by introducing pressure medium into the lower prop part 1 the prop or stanchion can be extended to bear upon the roof of a mine working.

The props of the support assembly are connected with one another attheir lower ends, i.e., in the region of the floor, by a floor rail. In the embodiment illustrated this floor rail consists of two parallel leaf spring floor beams 10 and 10' arranged one above the other. Each of the props has two annular flanges or shoulders 6 and 6' on its lower part 1 and arranged one above the other. The lowermost annular flange 6' is 1 disposed at the lower end of the lower prop part so thatthe prop bears on the floor 5 of the mine working through the lower surface 9 of the flange 6'.

In accordance with the invention a connecting device is provided for attaching each prop with the leaf spring floor beams 10 and 10'. Each device is in the form of a clamp which consists of two parts 3 and 4 constructionally of half-shell formation. The parts 3 and 4 encircle the lower end portion of the lower prop part 1 and are capable of being separated from one another along a vertical plane 12. The longitudinal axis of the lower prop part 1 lies in theplane l2. Hollow bolts 8, which extend horizontally through flange 13, are arranged one above the other on both sides of the lower prop part I, serve for clamping the clamp parts 3 and 4 together and to the part 1. The bolts 8 are inserted through clearance holes in laterally projecting flange 13 of the clamp part 3 to engage threaded bores on the end face of the clamp part 4. The clamp parts 3 and 4 are thus rigidly and fixedly connected with one another and against the lower prop part 1 by means of the hollow bolts 8. The prop part 1 bears on the lower surface 60 of the upper flange 6 against the upper surface 14 of the clamp parts 3 and 4. At the other end of prop part 1, flange 6' is enclosed by the clamp parts 3 and 4 and lies in annular internal groove 15 provided in the two clamp parts 3 and 4. In this way the clamp is secured and cannot shift longitudinally of the prop part I.

The clamp part 3 has a widened extended portion 3a, which forms a skid 7 at the front of the assembly. In a similar manner the clamp part 4 has a widened portion 4a and the combined portions 3a and 4a form a foot plate contacting the floor and, as may be seen from FIG. 2, the foot plate is approximately rectangular. The actual support surfaces 9' and 9" of the two portions 3a and 4a lie in a common plane with the foot surface 9 of the prop part 1. The prop support forces are thus transmitted through the surfaces 9, 9 and 9" to a larger area of the floor 5.

The clamp part 4 has a coupling with which the clamp is attached to the two leaf spring floor beams and 10'. The coupling is in the form of eyelets 16 formed integrally with clamp part 4 through which horizontal bolts 17 are inserted. The ends of beams 10' and 10 are bent over encircling the bolts 17, thus forming receivable bolt channels for the bolts.

In order to prevent the lower prop part 1 from rotating in the clip parts 3 and 4, a tongue 11 is provided which engages in corresponding grooves provided in the lower prop part 1 and in the clip part 4.

In the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 4 like reference numerals denote like parts to those already described. However, in place of the two annular flanges 6 and 6' only a singular annular flange 6" is constructed on the lower prop part 1 at a distance above the lowermost surface of prop part I. The clamp parts 3 and 4 each have an annular groove 18 in which the annular flange 6" engages, in such a manner that the clamp is held on the prop part 1 in a position in which the surfaces 9, 9 and 9" lie substantially in a common plane.

While there has been described what is at present considered to be preferred embodiments of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention. It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are illustrative of the application of the principle of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof. It is, therefore, intended that the matter contained in this description and the accompanying drawings be considered as illustrative and not as limiting.

We claim:

1. In a moveable mine-roof support assembly having:

1. a generally vertical cylindrical height adjustable hydraulic support prop,

2. a floor rail comprised of at least two generally horizontal, spaced parallel leaf springs, the lower of which is adapted to engage the floor of the mine shaft, and

3. a coupling-foot plate adapted to connect said prop and said floor rail by means of bolts; the improvement comprising:

a. an integral support flange about the outer-lower portion of said prop, I

b. bolt-engaging eyelets on the edges of said leaf springs facing said prop with the lower thereof being upwardly turned so as to be free of said floor, and

c. a coupling-foot plate comprising: two mating halfcylindrical shells adapted to fit about and engage said lower portion of said prop each of said shells having: 1. a mating annular shou der adapted to engage and support the underside of said flange,

ii. an extended horizontal weight bearing surface on the lower edge thereof adapted to bear on said floor on a common plane with the lower end of said prop whereby said prop effectively extends through said coupling-foot plate, and

iii. clamping means adapted to rigidly clamp one shell to the other about said prop, and one of said shells having at least two horizontally extended upper and lower eyelets mating with said bolt-engaging eyelets on the edges of said leaf springs whereby when said bolts are inserted in said eyelets said coupling-foot plate cannot move relative to said floor rail about the axis of said bolts.

2. The assembly of claim ,1 wherein said eyelets on the edges of said leaf springs are extended along the edges thereof for a distance less than the width of said coupling-foot plate and said one shell has two pairs of eyelets, one upper and one lower, each pair of which engages the ends of the extended eyelets on the edge of said leaf springs, whereby horizontal movement of said coupling-foot plate relative to said floor rail is restricted.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said weight-bearing surface of the other said shells is in the form of a skid facing away from said floor rail.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said prop has two upper and lower support flanges, and said shells having two corresponding mating recesses, only the upper of which, however, is adapted to be load-bearing.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the surfaces between said prop and one of said shells are slotted to receive a key adapted to prevent said prop turning in said coupling-foot plate. 

